Richard Petty Motorsports

Richard Petty Motorsports news, rumors and injuries

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Marcos Ambrose will put in double duty this weekend at Watkins Glen International, as RPM announced Monday, Aug. 4, that Ambrose will enter the Zippo 200 in the Nationwide Series Saturday, Aug. 9, in addition to his Cup entry in the Cheez-It 355.

Fantasy Tip: Ambrose is one of those road course specialists who is hoping to break through with a win and punch his ticket to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, joining RPM teammate Aric Almirola as an unlikely contender for the championship.

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola, who became the first first-time winner since 2011, has a spot in the 16-driver Chase field all but secured. His focus has changed, and he feels his team's chances to compete for the championship are real. "We have a lot of work to do, we're aware of that," Almirola said Tuesday, July 8. "We've got to be more competitive consistently. But I can tell you that everybody at the shop today when I was there is already talking about it. They're already talking about what we can do, where we can test, what parts we can build, what setups we can try. That's the focus of our race team."

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola said Monday, July 7, that he never let the burden of getting the No. 43 car back into Victory Lane wear on him. "Everybody always asks me, 'Oh, how much pressure is it to drive the King's car?' and all that stuff," Almirola said. "And to be honest with you, there's nobody that can put any more pressure on me than me, because I want to win for myself. I know this sounds terrible, but it's more about winning so that I can feel a sense of accomplishment more than just winning to give Richard Petty another win. He's won enough races."

Fantasy Tip: Almirola still has a long way to go before fantasy owners can trust him to turn in big-time results on a race-to-race basis. However, he has taken a major step forward this season, and he has been surprisingly effective at both restrictor-plate tracks and short tracks.

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Amirola won the rain-delayed, rain-shortened Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway Sunday, July 6. The race was originally scheduled to be held Saturday, July 5, but steady rain postponed the event one day.

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola stalled on the track in practice Saturday, June 7, at Pocono Raceway, and it was feared he blew a motor. However, it was a transmission issue in need of a change. He will not have to go to the back of the field due to the transmission swap.

NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said that video of a post-race altercation between Richard Petty Motorsports driver Marcos Ambrose and Germain Racing driver Casey Mears after the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway is under review. "We're just taking a look at it - looking at the video and it doesn't seem to be much, but we'll take our time Monday and Tuesday and look at it some more," Pemberton said.

Fantasy Tip: From Pemberton's statement, it sounds like a suspension is unlikely, but it is something to watch heading into the Aarons 499 at Talladega this weekend. Ambrose has a legitimate chance to finish well at the restrictor-plate track, and could be a fantasy sleeper if he is in the field. Right now, there is no reason to believe he won't be.

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Aric Almirola has posted two Top 10 finishes on short tracks so far this season, so he is looking forward to this week's race at Richmond International Raceway Saturday, April 26. "You know, in years past at (RPM) our mile-and-a-half program has really been our strong suit and I've kind of dreaded going to short tracks," Almirola said. "Even though I like them, I've kind of dreaded it because I knew that our short-track program wasn't very good, and it was a struggled just to run 20th. We had to fight both tooth and nail."

Fantasy Tip: Almirola, who sits 24th in the points, has been a surprise for fantasy owners. Richmond is another short track, so Almirola could be a sneaky fantasy option, especially in salary cap formats, if he duplicates his success from Bristol and Martinsville earlier this season.

Richard Petty Motorsports driver Michael Annett (sternum) is out indefinitely with a fracture and dislocation of his sternum that he suffered in a scary Nationwide Series crash Saturday, Feb. 23. He will need surgery immediately, and driver Aric Almirola will replace Annett at Phoenix International Raceway this weekend.

Richard Petty Motorsports has decided to swap the crew chiefs for drivers Aric Almirola and Marcos Ambrose in the Sprint Cup Series after both drivers failed to make the Chase. Mike Ford will move to Ambrose's No. 9 team while crew chief Todd Parrott will work with Almirola for the remainder of the season. Ambrose sits 15th in the standings while Almirola is 22nd going into the final 10 races. Neither driver is under contract for the 2013 season.